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A convicted murderer in Los Angeles County may have used a makeshift key to remove his handcuffs and shackles before brazenly escaping last week.
Kern County radio host Ralph Bailey reports that Cesar Hernandez may have used a manufactured key to unlock the cuffs while Delano was being transported to court.
“He had a key to the handcuffs that he could use to unshackle himself,” Bailey said, citing a law enforcement official. He added that additional homemade keys may have been found in Hernandez’s cell.
If the claim is correct, it would answer a question many have asked after exclusive footage obtained by KTLA’s sister station KGET shows an unrestrained Hernandez effortlessly passing a trailing guard. .
Video obtained by KGET shows correctional officers chasing escaped murderer Cesar Hernandez in Delano on Dec. 2, 2024. Video obtained by KGET shows correctional officers chasing escaped murderer Cesar Hernandez in Delano on Dec. 2, 2024. Video obtained by KGET shows correctional officers chasing escaped murderer Cesar Hernandez in Delano on Dec. 2, 2024.
It sounds like something out of a Steve McQueen movie, but the idea that a convicted murderer made his own key to escape handcuffs might have some merit.
Hernandez, 34, was on his way to court in Delano to plead no contest for manufacturing weapons in his cell.
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Reached for comment Monday, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation would not confirm or deny claims that Hernandez had removed the lock on his cuffs or that he had assaulted a guard as part of the escape. Bailey’s further assertion that Hernandez may have been a Mexican Mafia official was also given the “no comment” treatment.
A CDCR spokesperson told KTLA, “This incident is currently under investigation and we are not releasing further details at this time.”
Hernandez was convicted of first-degree murder in Los Angeles County in 2019 and sentenced to 80 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole. His charges related to prison weapon manufacturing, a “third strike” crime under California law, could have cost him his chance at parole.
Cesar M. Hernandez, 34, is pictured in a CDCR mugshot on September 20, 2024 (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation)
Hernandez is listed as 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing approximately 160 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair and was last seen wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, which has likely been discarded.
The search for the fugitive killer, who is considered dangerous, has begun in the Delano area, but California authorities believe he is no longer in the area.
The circumstances and location of the search for Hernandez remain unclear.
If anyone sees it, they are asked to call 911 immediately or contact Kern Valley State Prison officials at 661-721-6314.
Despite the high-profile nature of this recent escape, CDCR states that 99% of all inmate escapees since 1979 have been apprehended.
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